LDS Church responds to 'misinformation' about home storage centers

By Joseph Walker , Deseret News

Published: Tuesday, June 18 2013 12:30 p.m. MDT

"In all but 12 of the church’s 101 home storage centers in the U.S. and Canada, patrons will no longer self-can products, but they may purchase these same items pre-canned or prepackaged at no additional cost," according to the LDS Church. (Tom Smart, Deseret News)

SALT LAKE CITY — In an attempt to quell “misinformation and unnecessary concern,” officials of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are telling church members that recent operational changes at the church’s home storage centers are “welcomed modifications” that will “help to better serve the needs of members of the church, as well as significantly improve efficiency.”

In an article on the LDS Church’s Newsroom website, the church responded to reports circulating on blogs, social media and email regarding the recent changes, pointing out that “much of the discussion regarding this issue has suggested that this change is due to food safety regulation.” “While it has been a factor,” the Newsroom article acknowledges, “the concern expressed regarding that issue has been overstated.”

For the record, the article confirms that “in all but 12 of the church’s 101 home storage centers in the U.S. and Canada, patrons will no longer self-can products, but they may purchase these same items pre-canned or prepackaged at no additional cost.

“These changes have been considered for some time as the church has looked at the best way to provide home storage goods to church members efficiently,” the Newsroom article says, listing five specific advantages to providing pre-canned or prepackaged goods.

The article also lists the 12 home storage centers in Canada, Arizona, Texas, Utah and Idaho that will continue to offer self-canning “for the time being." A list of all 101 centers is available on providentliving.org.